Science in Seconds - 3D Printers

Science in Seconds Know Everything RAVES - 3D Printers Torah Kachur: We rely on hordes of small Chinese children in factories to make our toys. But soon we'll be able to use our brand new 3D printers to print our own toys, while relying on those bladder‑swollen villagers to make the printers. 3D printers have done a few amazing feats like print blood vessels, sandstone houses, or plastic replicas of Stephen Colbert's head. But soon, 3D printers will be able to print more 3D printers, food, and probably some creepy pornographic applications. 3D printers work by slowly adding layers of metals, plastics, or even sand according to a computerized drawing. The technology is actually quite simple, where a laser beam or a beam of electrons fuses the powdered precursors together until a 3D structure is laid down. It's more than just homemade trinkets: medical researchers are using old inkjet printers attached to sophisticated software to lay down individual living human cells on scaffolds to print tissues. Yep, an inkjet, as in Toner Cartridge 73, is now carrying human cells. Soon skin, bone, cartilage, bridging material for wound healing, all will be made by a click of a mouse. Even entire human kidneys will be printed for transplant by adding cells layer by layer. The technological applications are just as far reaching: some engineers have printed a small plane, opening the door for surveillance drones to be created from scratch and tailored for any situation. One company is marketing a consumer‑ friendly 3D printer that prints in sugar, allowing users to create edible sculptures. Need a missing part from a discontinued collector car, a rocket launcher, a house? What will you build? Courtesy of Science in Seconds – All rights reserved Only for educational/non-profit purposes. (Translators are invited to put their name here)